Method of folding, closing, and opening letters rendered inaccessible without envelopes



Patented Apr. 26. 1932 UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE f AN VOGLHAYI EB, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA METHOD OF FOLDING, CLOSING, AND OPENING LETTERS BENDERED mACCZlNSIBLE WITHOUT ENVELQPES Application filed December 16, 1927, Serial lio. 240,605, and in Austria October 22, 1927.

The usual business-method of closing'letters for despatch is to fold the sheetcrosswise and put it in an envelope with a gunnned-flap which is moistened and stuck down. .The usual method of opening business-letters is to cut open the envelope, take out the letter-sheet, unfold and stamp the same with the dates of receipt. Both methods be' carried out manually.

, The ject of my invention is to spare manual work in despatch and receipt of letters, to reduce their weight andvolume, to render inaccessible the contents and to promote the standardization of the letters.

My invention consists in a novel shape of the closed letters, an improved disposition of the parts of the contents and in a new method of folding and closing, as well as opening and unfolding such letters and providing the same with the stamp of receipt.

Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings show the letter-sheet in the different stages of the new method.

The letter-sheet (Fig. 1) is divided into four areas A, B, C, D by three parallel folds. The topmost area A contains a space E and a space F for the names and addresses of the sender and of the addressee respectively, this area being the heading of the letter. The adjacent area B contains a spaceG for businessremarks, such as telephone number, cableaddress, bankers, codes and C. The space H is reserved for the stamp of receipt (Fig. 6), while the interrupted line J serves for writing the relatingand register-remarks and the dates of despatch. The ruled space K of the areas C and D is reserved for the communications or the letter-text.

The sheet is folded by bendin the area D inwards so as to cover the area %l, now the area B is folded inwards and the area A outward and serves as postal-address (Fig. 2), thereby covering practically the half of the front-side of the closed letter. The remaining-half L of the front. side is reserved for the application of postage-stamps and. other signs of postal-service. This space L is situated below the postal-address if the sizes of the areas A and B are nearly equal, but less than the sizes of C and D. If the division is altered, so that the sizes of the areas B, C and D are nearly equal and onlythesize of the area A is smaller, the space L will be situated above the postal-address, as shown in Fig. 4. This figure shows on the left side how the lateral borders are superposed.

The folded letter is closed (Fig. 3) by notching the open lateral borders by means of oppositely acting coggings. The notches at the front-side of the letter, in the draw- 50 ing represented by short lines, correspond todthe spaces bet-ween the notches at the backs1 e.

- Fig. 5 shows a received letter with severed letter-sheet.

In. conti ast with a gummed closure which can easily be opened and closed again without a mark of tampering, the notched closure of a letter according to the present method would irretrievably be destroyed at an attempt upon the contents of the folded areas C and D by lifting their overlapping area B,. the width of which being in a limited proportion to the distance between the rows of no'tchings sufficient to tear the perforated paper at a certain angle of elevation. Therefore the security of the contents is increased, although the letter is not secured between the notching rows for the purpose to be opened 'merely by detaching the notched borders.

I claim 9- 1. Method of folding and closing letters without the use of an envelope and whereby the letter-head used as a postal address is turned outward which consists in transversely folding a letter sheet into individual areas byfirst folding the lower area to cover the middle area and in this manner concealing the communication upon their face, folding 7 inwardly the upper area which contains the address, business remarks, date of despatch anda free space for the stamp of receipt renote versely folding the outer portion of the up per area upon itself so as to e ose the address and leaving free a part of t e underside of the letter sheet for the application of postage stamps and post marks, and finally closing the lateral superposed borders of the letter sheet by opposite interlocking notchings.

2. The method of folding and closing letters without an envelope which consists in folding the lower portion of a letter sheet inwardlyupon itself to the form of an envelope size, then folding the top portion of the sheet 11 on the first folded area, then reversely fol ing the outermost portion of the top part of the sheet upon itself, said latter portion carrying the address and leaving free a part of the underside of the letter sheet for postage stamps and post marks, and finally closin the lateral interlocking borders of each side by a layer of superposed notchings.

3. The method of folding, closing and opening letterswithout an envelope which of the letter sheet wrapping the enclosure by at least one fold which lies beneath the fold of the letter sheet formed when overlapping its first folded areas, and notching the lateral superposed borders of the protecting-sheet together with those of the letter sheet whereby when opening the letter the protecting sheet will be severed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MAXIMILIAN VOGLMAYER.

consists in folding a letter sheet horizontally I into four areas by first folding the lower twothirds of the sheet u on itself, overlapping the first folded areas by the remaining part of the sheet, reversely folding the outer portion of the last mentioned overlapping part front of the folded letter there y providing an address and stamp receiving face, closing the lateral superposed borders of each side of the sheet by a row'of interlocking notchngs, the width of said overlapping part being limited by a due proportion to the distance between the rows of notchings, and

finally opening such letters by separating the notched borders.

4. The method of folding and closing letters without an envelope which, consists in folding the lower portion of a letter sheet horizontally upon itself, folding the uppermost portion of the sheet upon the folded lower areas and reversely folding the outerprotecting sheet together with those of the pose set forth.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, con-' sisting in applying a protecting sheet for enclosures within the folded lower two-thirds mg the lateral superposed borders of the upon itself so as to cover the 11 per one-half letter sheet substantially as and for the pur- I 

